The Boy Next Door
by gaijin.sparrow
Summary: Before Marie was Rogue and her relationship with a boy named David
1. First Kiss

Disclaimer: I own nothing, nothing belongs to me.

*****This is about Rogue's life before she was Rogue, so she's Marie here- a perfectly normal kid. It about her relationship with David, the kiss-and-now-he's-comatose David.

Part One of Three

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The Boy Next Door

He was literally the boy next door.

On a normal summer day Marie D'Ancanto was wheeling her tricycle up and down the stretch of sidewalk in front of her house- its hot pink handlebars glinting in the sun- when a large moving van pulled into the driveway of the next house. Being of the inquisitive sort, young Marie abandoned her bike and got closer, watching in wonder as men unloaded dressers and chairs, a kitchen table, and a very large grandfather clock.

Another vehicle pulled up, a small grey car, and out of it popped a boy. A few years older than Marie, he walked up to her and brushed his long brown hair out of his face.

"I'm David and this," he gestured grandly to the hustle and bustle, "is my new home." He gave a small smile that revealed one missing tooth.

"I'm Marie," Marie smiled shyly back, forgetting her usual boldness in the face of this forward stranger.

"You talk funny," David stated, referring to her southern lilt.

Marie was slightly taken a-back; she had never had anyone comment on her voice. She felt quite upset.

"A good funny though," he quickly amended, seeing the young girl's oncoming tears. "I think it's sorta cute."

"Cute?"

"Yeah," David shrugged, scuffing the toe of his shoe into the grass. "Like a puppy."

They stood there together in silence, each thinking of something entirely different; Marie of cute puppies and David of worms.

"David sweetie, we're going to bring your things up to your new room," David's mother waved expectedly from the front door and followed her husband and the two bulky movers inside.

"Well… bye!" Marie cried cheerfully as she turned to go but David her hand.

It was a short kiss, a quick meeting of pursed lips to rosy cheeks, and as David pulled away he raised his hand as if to wipe the cooties away, but he didn't. Marie her hand to her cheek, her face as red as the town's fire truck.

"Yup," David grinned, "definitely cute."

And that was the beginning of Marie's friendship with David Williams.

The next morning he showed up on her front porch, sitting silently on the wooden steps as Mr. D'Ancanto shuffled out in his bathrobe and slippers for the Sunday paper, he eyed the mysterious boy warily.

"And you are?"

"I'm David, I live next door."

"So… what are you doing here?" Paul D'Ancanto was generally a nice man, though not well known for his patience with children.

"I'm waiting for Marie to come out and play." As if it was the most obvious answer in the world.

"Marie?"

David nodded his head enthusiastically.

"She has a piano lesson now; you'll have to come back after lunch erm… David."

"Alrighty!" the boy jumped and loped across the yard back to his property, giving a cheerful wave before disappearing through the door.

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Reviews are always appreciated 3


	2. Canadian Geography

Part two of three

Marie was always good at Geography.

David hated it.

"It's not that bad," Marie teased as he groaned dramatically over the day's homework. "You just need to focus."

"But why learn about the places we'll never get to go? I'd rather focus on this twig or the ladybug on this twig," he peered intently at the red and black spotted insect, "Perfectly focused."

Marie shook her head, shifting on the blanket they had spread out across the D'Ancanto's backyard. It was rule that for one hour after school they would do homework, regardless of where it didn't really matter; it was just a way to spend time together despite Marie's parents' wishes to keep them apart.

Ever since he moved here ten years ago they had been inseparable. Even after David had acquired his own Mississippi accent and somehow worked his way up the Social- Ladder by joining the baseball team and having a week long relationship with Missy Huler, he stayed by Marie; a shy girl who preferred to sit quietly during a pep rally then be a cheerleader.

They were best friends.

Marie knew David hated pickles and David knew Marie was terrified of polar bears.

"But what if you want to go somewhere in the world?!" she exclaimed suddenly, startling the ladybug and causing it to fly off. "Like… like," she looked at the world map and caught sight of the Great Lakes, "Canada!"

"Canada?"

"Canada," Marie repeated with conviction, "someday I'm going to Canada."

David didn't laugh, didn't mock or tease, instead he nodded, "An adventure."

He wasn't supposed to be in her room.

The one of many rules Marie's father had in place regarding David's visits was he was allowed nowhere near Marie's room. David took a wild guess as to what Mr. D'Ancanto's reasoning was and came up with a few ideas, enough of them to solidify his thought that Marie's father gave her the freedom of a two year old.

It all started with a pencil. "Honestly David, it'll only take one second," she laughed as she saw his hesitation, refusing to step on the staircase, "he's not even home."

It was true; he was still at work and her mother sat oblivious to anything and everything as she happily stroked the piano keys.

But once he entered her room he was spellbound. It was just so _Marie_, a place where she was able to express herself in colour and art, paintings and sketches, most of them by her own hand, lined her walls. The thing that caught his attention most however, was the map on the wall above her bed: a map of North America.

As she mumbled under her breath while going through countless writing utensils on her desk and failing to find a sharpened one, he sat down on her bed. On the map was a beaded trail from Mississippi to British Columbia, following along the coast of the Pacific to Alaska. Printed pictures and notes were scattered across the country, scrawled in Marie's penmanship; tidbits of distances and temperatures, town names, pictures of beavers and caribou. He smiled, even one of a polar bear.

"Aha!" Marie crowed triumphantly as she wheeled around, the elusive sharpened pencil firmly in her grasp, then she caught sight of David and what he was looking at. She blushed and sat down on the bed next to him. "Bet you think it's silly huh?"

"No, of course not." And he meant it.

She smiled, "Remember what I said a year ago, about going to Canada? I meant it."

"I can see that."

They sat there looking at each other until he said, "Show me where you're going."

Her face lit up and she kneeled on the bed, her finger pointing to where the bead-rope began. "We are here." Sure enough, two stick people waved from the dot labelled 'Meridian.'

"We?" David chuckled.

She shrugged, "I thought it would be polite to include you; you started all this."

David nodded, "Fair enough."

Marie continued, "To Niagara Falls, up the Canadian Rockies, and then it's only a few hundred miles to Anchorage."

"Won't it be kinda cold?" David may have failed Geography but he at least wasn't stupid.

"Well that's the point stupid; otherwise it wouldn't be an adventure."

"And when are you going to do this?"

Her face fell and she laid on her stomach looking at him. "I don't know, after High School, before College…"

David twisted so their faces were mere inches apart. Flashes of his first day in Meridian whipped before his eyes like fireworks; his 'kiss' with Marie sticking in the front of his mind. He couldn't help but hope maybe, today, it wouldn't just be on the cheek.

He leaned closer, close enough to see her pupils dilate. He leaned closer, then she leaned closer still and for one second they kissed. Then all her heard were screams.

'_Marie, don't cry. I'm alright. It's not your fault.'_

Two lives ended that day; David Williams was pronounced D.O.A. at Meridian Country Hospital at 11: 17 a.m. Marie D'Ancanto however was reborn as a small girl in a green cloak somewhere in Laughlin City as Rogue.


	3. Rebirth

Part three of three

He wasn't supposed to be in her room.

The one of many rules Marie's father had in place regarding David's visits was he was allowed nowhere near Marie's room. David took a wild guess as to what Mr. D'Ancanto's reasoning was and came up with a few ideas, enough of them to solidify his thought that Marie's father gave her the freedom of a two year old.

It all started with a pencil. "Honestly David, it'll only take one second," she laughed as she saw his hesitation, refusing to step on the staircase, "he's not even home."

It was true; he was still at work and her mother sat oblivious to anything and everything as she happily stroked the piano keys.

But once he entered her room he was spellbound. It was just so _Marie_, a place where she was able to express herself in colour and art, paintings and sketches, most of them by her own hand, lined her walls. The thing that caught his attention most however, was the map on the wall above her bed: a map of North America.

As she mumbled under her breath while going through countless writing utensils on her desk and failing to find a sharpened one, he sat down on her bed. On the map was a beaded trail from Mississippi to British Columbia, following along the coast of the Pacific to Alaska. Printed pictures and notes were scattered across the country, scrawled in Marie's penmanship; tidbits of distances and temperatures, town names, pictures of beavers and caribou. He smiled, even one of a polar bear.

"Aha!" Marie crowed triumphantly as she wheeled around, the elusive sharpened pencil firmly in her grasp, then she caught sight of David and what he was looking at. She blushed and sat down on the bed next to him. "Bet you think it's silly huh?"

"No, of course not." And he meant it.

She smiled, "Remember what I said a year ago, about going to Canada? I meant it."

"I can see that."

They sat there looking at each other until he said, "Show me where you're going."

Her face lit up and she kneeled on the bed, her finger pointing to where the bead-rope began. "We are here." Sure enough, two stick people waved from the dot labelled 'Meridian.'

"We?" David chuckled.

She shrugged, "I thought it would be polite to include you; you started all this."

David nodded, "Fair enough."

Marie continued, "To Niagara Falls, up the Canadian Rockies, and then it's only a few hundred miles to Anchorage."

"Won't it be kinda cold?" David may have failed Geography but he at least wasn't stupid.

"Well that's the point stupid; otherwise it wouldn't be an adventure."

"And when are you going to do this?"

Her face fell and she laid on her stomach looking at him. "I don't know, after High School, before College…"

David twisted so their faces were mere inches apart. Flashes of his first day in Meridian whipped before his eyes like fireworks; his 'kiss' with Marie sticking in the front of his mind. He couldn't help but hope maybe, today, it wouldn't just be on the cheek.

He leaned closer, close enough to see her pupils dilate. He leaned closer, then she leaned closer still and for one second they kissed. Then all her heard were screams.

'_Marie, don't cry. I'm alright. It's not your fault.'_

Two lives ended that day; David Williams was pronounced D.O.A. at Meridian Country Hospital at 11: 17 a.m. Marie D'Ancanto however was reborn as a small girl in a green cloak somewhere in Laughlin City as Rogue.


End file.
